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Tottenham will not outbid Chelsea for Premier League star

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United at Selhurst Park on February 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United at Selhurst Park on February 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea need Wilfried Zaha more than Tottenham

Tottenham are being strongly linked with another summer swoop for Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha. The only problem with that logic is that Spurs don’t really need him anymore. Chelsea, on the other hand, will be very motivated to get younger on the wing when the transfer window reopens.

The Mirror is reporting that Spurs, Chelsea and even Manchester City will test Palace’s resolve to hang on to Zaha this summer. The report citing Tottenham’s interest is particularly intriguing since Mauricio Pochettino’s club added Lucas Moura to their attacking corps in January.

The 25-year-old Brazilian responded to his acquisition by scoring a key goal in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw at Rochdale this past weekend. He has a long way to go to really prove he’s going to be a game-changer for Spurs, but his FA Cup star certainly got the club’s fan base excited. At the very least, Lucas is in line to get several more opportunities to force his way into Pochettino’s plans for the remainder of this season.

Chelsea, in sharp contrast, are looking a little short of attacking options. Much has been made about Antonio Conte’s issues at striker, but his wide options have been pretty average this season. Add in the fact that age will likely drag down the performances of Willian and Pedro moving forward and it’s clear the Blues should be shopping for a player like Zaha this summer.

You have to ask yourself whether you really believe Tottenham will try to outbid Chelsea this summer. Expecting Daniel Levy to outbid Chelsea during an ordinary summer transfer window would be unwise. Expecting Levy to outbid the Blues when he’s trying to pay for a brand new stadium strikes me as pure lunacy.

If Tottenham are going to pay big money for a new attacker, expect it to be a younger player with world-class potential. Zaha is attractive because he is clearly an above-average Premier League regular, but he lacks the potential of someone like Malcom. Spurs will be more likely to swing for the fences than to overpay for someone who only represents a mild upgrade over their current options.

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Zaha moving to Tottenham this summer isn’t impossible, but it is pretty unlikely. The only way Spurs will end up with the Palace star is if other clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City elect to look elsewhere. Spurs will not go toe-to-toe with the Blues to win the race for Zaha this summer.

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